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This time, before Kai next took off down the corridor, he turned around, glanced down at Kyungsoo's hand hanging by his side, and took hold of it, turning it over the way a kid does an interesting rock picked up off the beach. Kyungsoo stared at their hands too, holding his breath.

It was strange, but Kyungsoo kind of liked it, Kai holding his hand. Even if his memories of life were foggy Kyungsoo was quite sure that hand holding like this was something only couples--heteroual couples--did. Why did it feel so right then, Kai's fingers curling around his? Kyungsoo didn't want to think anymore. He let himself be dragged into another room.

Kyungsoo glanced at the small television in the corner, a group of senior citizens seated infront of it. They seemed to be the only audience to the evening news report. Kyungsoo didn't care much about the news, and glanced away uninterested.

Kai on the other hand started towing him towards the plastic chairs next to the old people. Kyungsoo shrugged and went along with the boy, nodding at one wizened old lady when she glanced up at the newcomers. She didn't acknowledge him, and Kyungsoo's smile of greeting fell.

Oh yeah. Kyungsoo rubbed the back of his neck. They can't see me.

Kai was watching him again, and Kyungsoo shifted uncomfortably.

"It , being a ghost, right?" Kai whispered once more.

Kyungsoo still shook his head, but with less conviction this time. It'd been okay just now, when he'd had fun wreaking havoc in the reception lobby. But now, with the added reminder that nobody (except Kai, of course) would acknowledge his existence, Kyungsoo felt a small pang of doubt. How long would he stay like this, ignored by everyone?

And then another more disturbing thought hit him.

How long would Kai stay in hospital? The boy'd mentioned that he'd been in a car crash too, but he'd also said (and Kyungsoo could clearly see that) the boy was well recovered already. Wouldn't he be discharged soon? Wouldn't that leave Kyungsoo alone in the hospital?

Kyungsoo gave Kai's fingers a squeeze to get his attention.

"How much longer?"

"Hm?" Kai turned his attention back to Kyungsoo.

"How much longer till you go home?"

Kai's open, curious expression drooped, and Kyungsoo was no longer able to read it. What had he said wrong?

"I don't know." Kai's voice was low, "Maybe tomorrow? I'm not sure."

Kyungsoo's heart fell. Tomorrow? So soon. Who would he talk to? Who would he have fun with, laugh with? It'd only been hours, not nearly a day since he'd met Kai, but the boy was practically the center of his universe now. It was no surprise really--Kai was literally his only friend at the moment.

"Let's watch television." Kai's voice was still barely above a whisper, and from his expression, Kyungsoo could sort of tell that it wasn't only because Kai would look as if he was insane to the old folks, talking to himself.

Kyungsoo turned to the flickering television screen, unsure of what to say next.

It was Kai who broke the silence between them after a few minutes.

"The evening news. Do you watch it often?" Kai paused, then corrected himself hastily. "Did you watch it often?"

Kyungsoo turned to face Kai again, relieved that the boy was looking normal once more. For some reason, Kyungsoo didn't like it when Kai was down. He found he liked it best when Kai was happy, and smiling, and his face seemed to light up, and dazzle his eyes a little. He got a little lost in his thoughts, and when his eyes next focused on Kai's face, he realised the boy had asked him a question, and was looking at him expectantly for an answer.

"Huh?" Kyungsoo mentally shook himself. "Uh. I don't really remember? I don't think so though. I don't find it very interesting." Kyungsoo admitted.

Kai nodded, then shrugged. "I know what you mean. I don't either, but tonight I just wanted to know what was going on in this world we--" Here, Kai glanced at Kyungsoo again, "--used to live in."

Kyungsoo laughed, hitting Kai's shoulders lightly (the boy acted as if he was grieviously wounded, getting a few very strange looks from the now weirded-out old folks beside them). "You make it sound as if we're both ghosts!"

Kai smiled at him too, but it didn't reach his eyes, didn't make them crease up the way Kyungsoo had grown to look for in the space of the hours they'd spent together.

How long had it been since he'd woken up? Kyungsoo didn't know. What time was it now?

The wall on the clock read 9pm.

Kyungsoo shifted in his seat, stretched his arms towards the ceiling and yawned. Kai turned to him again. He gave a 'sorry' smile, as if to apologise for making Kyungsoo watch the news with him. Standing up, he loosened his grip on Kyungsoo's hand, and took his wrist instead.

Kyungsoo's fingers twitched, a little cold after the warmth of Kai's palm pressed up against his.

They walked down the corridor side by side, not really saying anything once more, but the silence was comfortable. Kai suddenly tunred around to face Kyungsoo, treading backwards so he could face the boy properly as they walked.

"Are you bored?" Kai's eyes searched Kyungsoo's face, making him feel inexplicably self conscious. Kyungsoo wasn't bored. Being with Kai was fun. Kyungsoo didn't know how to say that without sounding weird. He gave explaining a shot.

"No..." Kyungsoo searched desperately for the words that came reluctantly. "I'm good. You're... Interesting. I like you."

And then he realised what he'd said, watching Kai's eyes grow almost as wide as his. Kyungsoo waved his hands in the air, yanking his wrist out of Kai's hold in the process.

"No, no!" Kyungsoo was oddly frantic for some reason. "I like spending time with you." It sounded just as strange as before. Kyungsoo gave up, his ears starting to feel uncomfortably warm.

Kai was still looking at him. Kyungsoo was about to turn his face away (it was getting a little awkward), when Kai gave a sudden smile. That caught his attention, and made it so that Kyungsoo just couldn't bring himself look away anymore, even as his ears were starting to burn again.

Because Kai's face creased up beautifully. Because Kyungsoo loved the little wrinkles on Kai's nose as his smile widened. Because the light that shone from Kai's eyes was so warm that it gave Kyungsoo the fuzzies where his stomach was supposed to be, and made his breath catch, and his eyes widen because he was afraid that if he blinked, he'd miss the sight.

"I like the way you smile." Kai told him.

Kyungsoo lifted a hand to his mouth. He hadn't even realised that he'd been smiling too. He raised his eyes to meet Kai's, then opened them wide.

"Hey, watch out, you're going to bump--"

Kai jumped as he collided into the doctor that had been walking down the corridor too, reading something on a sheet of paper.

"Oh, sorr--" Kai started, trying to regain his balance.

The doctor's pen had been knocked out of his hand. Almost as if it was in slow motion, Kyungsoo watched as it moved towards him. Kai saw it too, and moved forward as if to catch it, but Kyungsoo beat him to it. Sticking out his hand, Kyungsoo nabbed it before it whacked into his face.

All three people froze, The doctor staring their way in pure amazement, Kai midway in a lunge forward, Kyungsoo with the pen in his hand. Kyungsoo recalled once more that the doctor couldn't see him. He probably only saw the pen, seemingly hovering in midair, suspended by an unseen force.

Kai shifted a little in hopes of blocking Kyungsoo (and the pen) from view, but one glance over his shoulder, and he knew it was too late. The doctor's stupefied expression said it all. An idea popped into his mind though, and Kai grinned almost wickedly at Kyungsoo, the message as clear as if he'd said the words out loud. Humour me.

"Abracadabrah!" Kai started making flamboyant motions with his hands in the air, coupling it with weird sound effects. But Kyungsoo understood perfectly. When Kai bent his arm towards himself, Kyungsoo stepped forward with the pen, made it seem as if Kai's hands had some power over it.

Kai was still grinning at him, and Kyungsoo kind of guessed the show wasn't over just yet. Kai swung around in a slowly, arms spread out, donning an almost pained expression, as if the conjuring drained him terribly. Kyungsoo ran around him in a circle, holding the pen out infront of him, following Kai's hands. Kyungsoo knew they looked ridiculous, and the absurd image of the pen bobbing about in the air by itself around Kai made him snort with laughter, and then pant from the exertion of laughing and running at the same time afterwards.

Kai deftly reached forward and took the pen. They looked around. A small audience had gathered to watch the spectacle, and the group of nurses, doctors and patients stood staring in silence.

"Tadah!" Kai brandished the pen grandly, passing in back to the doctor. Grabbing hold of Kyungsoo's hand, he raised them and bowed, pulling Kyungsoo down with him, as if both of them could be seen, as if the audience were clapping for both of them. For the second time that day, they'd out on a show for the folks in the ospital. Kai didn't let go of Kyungsoo's hand even as they walked away nonchalently like famous idols or something, and Kyungsoo was strangely content.

"You're nuts."

"I know." Kai grinned.

After the excitement and laughter had fizzled down in him a little, Kyungsoo tried stifling another yawn. Kai caught him at it, and steered them towards the wards, eventually leading them back to the room Kyungsoo had woken up in earlier on.

"How do you know your way around here so well?" Kyungsoo wanted to know. The maze of corridors, with white walls only broken by identical doors painted a minty green confused Kyungsoo, and convinced him that if it weren't for Kai, he'd probably get lost and never find his way out again.

"I had alot of time to explore by myself when I recovered." Kai shrugged.

Inside the ward was dim, the lights dimmed and orange, making the room feel cozy. Most of the patients were sleeping already, and when Kai and Kyungsoo talked, they were careful to speak only in whispers so as not to disturb the rest.

"You tired?" Kai nodded at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo shrugged. He was, kind of, but then again, ghosts weren't supposed to feel tired, Kyungsoo guessed. It was probably mind over matter or something. Kyungsoo glanced over at the corner of the room, and realised that the bed he'd woken up in still had his name on a card at the end of it. He didn't think too much of it though. Maybe the nurses and doctors removed name tags of deceased patients only after another patient was going to use the bed. And then Kyungsoo blinked.

The air around the bed had gone kind of hazy, gone blurry, as if his eyes had decided to stop focusing anymore. Kyungsoo rubbed his eyes, and looked again. It was still fuzzy. But then Kai tugged on his arm, and that distracted Kyungsoo from the strange sight. Kyungsoo let himself be towed away to another bed that was labelled with Kai's name.

Kai's bed was situated in the opposite corner of the room, and had a large window next to it, and was in general situated in a more pleasant corner than Kyungsoo's bed, which was all cramped and sharing the space with the cupboard Kai had been lying on.

"Go to sleep." Kai motioned at his own bed. 

Kyungsoo shook his head. "Mine's over there." He stuck his thumb out in the direction of the other corner.

"It's nicer here." Kai explained, and Kyungsoo couldn't help but agree. Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, then giving in to the weight that made his eyelids feel almost too heavy to keep open for much longer and lying down.

Kai came over and tucked him in. Kyungsoo tried protesting.

"Stop it! I'm older. I should be the one tucking you in..." Kyungsoo trailed off as it hit him. "Where are you going to sleep?"

Kai smiled at him.

"Over here." Kai walked round the bed to the other side, lifted the corner of the cover, and slid in next to Kyungsoo. An idea made his face light up. "Here," He offered, "Now we can both tuck each other in."

Kyungsoo wanted to protest, tell Kai that it was fine, that he'd go over to his own bed and sleep, so that they wouldn't have to squeeze on the same single bed, but the covers were warm, and lying there with Kai made him feel so cozy and safe, that he couldn't really bring himself to say anything.

Reaching over Kai, Kyungsoo dragged the covers over the younger boy, trying to avoid looking at him, feeling Kai's stare more than ever. Kyungsoo looked at Kai's hands instead as they patted the blankets in place, tucking it under his chin. Kyungsoo his side, away from Kai, and his eyelids that had just started sliding down snapped upwards again when he felt Kai's back press against his when the boy shifted into a more comfortable position.

Kyungsoo loved reading. Sometimes he read books on friendship (sometimes on romance too, but he didn't want to associate this with that genre), and he'd never been able to feel for the line 'I've got your back' up till now. Kyungsoo fell asleep with a smile.

Something woke him up later. How much time had passed? Kyungsoo didn't know. He didn't feel like getting up to check. The bed felt colder for some reason, and Kyungsoo missed the warm back behind him. He turned his head on the pillow to check, to confirm that Kai wasn't there.

Kai said that he might be discharged the next day. What if he'd gone already, without saying goodbye? Maybe ghosts were really heavy sleepers. Kyungsoo sat up quickly as he could in bed, prepared to rush out to look for Kai, at least get to bid him farewell, wish him luck in life. Something like panic clawed its way up Kyungsoo's throat. Had Kai really just left him alone?

Kyungsoo turned to see Kai sitting on the low window sill next to the bed. The fear in him dispelled in an instant, dissolved into nothingness. The boy was looking out, a piece of paper about the size of a post-it note in his hand. The light from the streetlamps outside the window gave him a subtle glow, turned the ends of his hair a tawny brown colour as he leaned his head against the window pane. Kai looked down, at the paper in his hand, and his eyelashes cast small shadows on his face.

In other words, he looked so breathtakingly perfect that Kyungsoo near forgot his fear.

"I thought you'd left." Kyungsoo whispered, and Kai jolted upright, turning to face him, stuffing the paper into his shirt pocket hastily. Kyungsoo froze at the expression on Kai's face, even as it melted into the familiar smile, and made Kyungsoo wonder if he'd really seen it afterall.

For that fleeting instant, Kai had looked so lost, so sad, so vulnerable.

Kyungsoo blinked, uncertain.

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What's up with Kai's expression? What was the piece of paper? Guesses? xD If you liked this update, don't forget to upvote and comment and subscribe!